One of the hallmarks of Florida’s response to the COVID “pandemic” has been that it not only encourages residents to get vaccinated, but it provides no-cost therapeutics via a network of clinics.

The Biden administration has not been a fan of this strategy because it is both effective and popular, as best one can tell. Back in September, the Biden administration preemptively took control of the distribution of the monoclonal antibodies used by Florida’s program and began throttling the number of doses available for distribution in Florida’s clinical network. Allegedly, this was to ensure that other states received a “fair share,” but it was hard to shake the feeling that the move was aimed at damaging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis more than having some larger public health purpose.

As if to underscore this hostility, late Monday, the Food and Drug Administration preemptively pulled the Emergency Use Authorization for the primary monoclonal antibodies used by Florida.

As a result of the @US_FDA's abrupt decision to remove the EUAs for two monoclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibody treatment sites will be closed until further notice. Full press release is below. pic.twitter.com/RGeWTPwxCs

— Florida Dept. of Health (@HealthyFla) January 25, 2022

The only reason given by the FDA is in this guidance.

There are two key points concerning the guidance. First, the FDA has furnished no clinical data to substantiate its claim that the drugs used by Florida clinics are not effective against the “Omicron” variant of the virus. All anyone has is a bald-faced assertion by the same people who have lied to us repeatedly and vigorously for the last two years. Second, just because Omicron is the dominant variant is a relatively meaningless data point as Delta is still circulating (or it was as of last week when I had it). Regardless, it places the FDA in the position of forbidding physicians from prescribing a drug they are familiar with for no other reason than it has that power.

What is worse, according to the communications director of the Florida Department of Health, the drug the FDA is foisting off on Florida is…well…suboptimal.

You’re providing 21,000 doses of Molnupiravir.

According to the final study conducted by Merck, there was no statistically significant difference vs placebo.

So, who is the one giving out treatments with poor clinical data? I’d say it’s @HHSGov. https://t.co/KkYO8oTLaV https://t.co/G1k1KPUZQ1

— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) January 25, 2022

This is how DeSantis described the issue.

“Without a shred of clinical data to support this action, Biden has forced trained medical professionals to choose between treating their patients or breaking the law,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This indefensible edict takes treatment out of the hands of medical professionals and will cost some Americans their lives. There are real-world implications to Biden’s medical authoritarianism – Americans’ access to treatments is now subject to the whims of a failing president.”

“Rather than giving Americans the option for various COVID treatments, the FDA and the Biden Administration issued their royal decree, taking away the very thing that is proven to reduce hospitalizations and save lives,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “Monoclonal antibody treatments like Regeneron have had a positive impact for thousands of Floridians. For the CDC and FDA, which have been consistently inconsistent throughout the entire pandemic, to restrict treatment does nothing but put individuals at risk.”

“In our field of medicine, when someone comes to you seeking a treatment that could save their life, it is essential to have treatment options to ensure health care providers can make the best decisions for their patients,” said Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “The Federal Government has failed to adequately provide the United States with adequate outpatient treatment options for COVID-19. Now, they are scrambling to cover up a failure to deliver on a promise to ‘shut down the virus.’”

As I’ve said from the earliest days of the “pandemic,” there is no single policy imposed by the federal government that does not have obedience and population control as its objective.

The bottom line here is that Florida’s treatment regimen was not invented in DC. Because it was not invented in DC, it is bad. Because it works, it must be crushed.